144 articles
Siberian tiger
Siberian tiger (Amur tiger, Panthera tigris altaica), the largest and northernmost tiger subspecies of the Russian Far East and Northeast China; preys on sika deer, wild boar, roe deer; recovering sixfold in SW Primorsky since 1996 but genetically bottlenecked.
Singapura cat
Singapura cat (Kucinta): smallest recognized cat breed, sepia agouti ticked coat, large eyes and ears, 4-8 lb. Developed in the US by the Meadows from cats said to be Singaporean; origins contested, genetically close to Burmese.
Smilodon
Smilodon, often called the saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of large saber-toothed cats that lived in the Americas, best known for its greatly elongated upper canine teeth.
Snow leopard
The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a large cat living in the high mountains of Central Asia, where it hunts wild sheep and goats on steep, rocky terrain.
South American fur seal
The South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis), called lobo fino in Spanish, is an eared seal breeding from central Peru to southern Brazil, including the Falkland Islands.
South China tiger (华南虎)
The South China tiger (华南虎), also known as the Amoy tiger, is a tiger subspecies native to southern China that is possibly extinct in the wild and survives only in captivity.
Sphynx cat
Sphynx cat (Canadian Hairless): a hairless-appearing domestic cat breed from a 1966 recessive KRT71 mutation in Ontario, Canada, founded via Prune and 1970s Minnesota cats, bred with Devon Rex; affectionate, warm-skinned, prone to HCM.
Spotted skunk
Spotted skunks, genus Spilogale, are small North American skunks known for the handstand defense before spraying. A 2022 genomic study recognizes seven species; the plains spotted skunk is under ESA review.
Subantarctic fur seal
Subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis), also Amsterdam Island fur seal, a Southern Ocean eared seal breeding on subantarctic islands; about 270,000-360,000 globally (IUCN Least Concern) but Vulnerable in Australia, with only a small recovering Macquarie Island colony.
Sumatran tiger
Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), also called the Sunda island tiger, the smallest and most critically endangered tiger population, found only on Sumatra, Indonesia, with roughly 400 left, threatened by snaring, poaching, and oil palm deforestation.
Tabby cat
Tabby cat: a domestic cat with the tabby coat pattern (mackerel, classic, spotted, or ticked), not a breed. Over 95% of cats carry the tabby gene; Taqpep and the Tabby and Ticked loci control the markings.
Tiger
Tiger (Panthera tigris), largest living cat, Endangered on the IUCN Red List. About 3,726–5,578 wild tigers (2022 estimate) survive in Asia, under 7% of historic range, recovering in India and Nepal but declining in Southeast Asia.
Tiger attack
Tiger attack: incidents where Panthera tigris bites, mauls, or kills people, mainly in the Sundarbans, India, and Nepal. Key facts: 1,047 recorded attack cases worldwide, mostly predatory in the Sundarbans, rising with tiger numbers in India.
Tigon
Tigon: hybrid of a male tiger (Panthera tigris) and a female lion, the reciprocal of the liger; smaller than either parent due to imprinting, males sterile, famously bred at Alipore Zoo, Kolkata.
Tonkinese cat
Tonkinese cat: a medium-sized pedigree cat breed from Siamese × Burmese crosses, shown in mink, solid, and pointed patterns in four colors, with aqua eyes in mink; descended partly from Wong Mau, recognized in Canada in the 1960s and by CFA in 1982.
Toyger
Toyger: designer domestic cat breed resembling a miniature tiger, developed by Judy Sugden from Bengals and striped shorthairs; TICA championship status 2007; striped, glittered, laid-back companion.
Tsavo Man-Eaters
Tsavo Man-Eaters: two maneless male lions that killed railway workers building the Uganda Railway bridge at Tsavo, Kenya, in 1898; shot by John Henry Patterson; victim counts range from 28 to 135, with isotope analysis suggesting about 35; skins and skulls at Chicago's Field Museum.
Turkish Angora
Turkish Angora (Ankara kedisi) is a natural semi-longhaired cat breed from Ankara, Turkey; the oldest known longhair breed, national treasure, white or many colors, prone to deafness in white blue-eyed cats.
Turkish Van
Turkish Van (Van kedisi), the swimming cat: a natural semi-longhaired breed from Lake Van, eastern Turkey, white with colored head and tail, water-loving, maturing in 3-5 years, distinct from the Turkish Angora.
Van cat
Van cat (Van kedisi), registered abroad as the Turkish Van, is a natural semi-longhaired cat breed from Lake Van, Turkey; white with colored head and tail, odd-eyed, known for swimming, recognized by GCCF in 1969.
White panther
White panther: informal term for a white big cat (leopard, jaguar, lion, or tiger) with leucism or albinism, counterpart of black panther; not a species, and captive white tigers descend from Mohan, captured in Rewa, India, in 1951.
White Tiger (China)
White Tiger (China), 白虎: captive leucistic Bengal tigers bred at Chinese safari parks, notably Chimelong's 1,000-plus population; caused by an SLC45A2 recessive mutation, descended from Mohan (1951), and criticized as having no conservation value.
Wildcat
Wildcat (Felis silvestris), a small wild felid of Europe, Africa, and Asia; also called European wildcat, African wildcat (F. lybica), and Asiatic wildcat. Ancestor group of the domestic cat; main threat is hybridization with free-ranging domestic cats.
Zanzibar leopard
Zanzibar leopard (Panthera pardus adersi), island leopard endemic to Unguja, Zanzibar; hunted to likely extirpation by the 1990s after a 1964 government eradication campaign; six museum specimens; 2024 genomics found close East African mainland affinity.